MYOC - Make your own caps!

[ishtob]

lol.. i purposely mixed it rough so I get more clouded look, glad its getting the effect I wanted

[braaaiiins]

Whoa. How are you drilling through the cap without hitting the stem?

[bloodygood]

I'll head to my local art shop and pick up some blue dye. What kind of blue are you looking to see?

This was the sort of blue I was thinking of, very bold.

[braaaiiins]

Nice choice - that's pretty. I'll mix some up after classes today.

update: mixed it and it looks really close. i think this will be the best looking one ive created.

[ishtob]

Whoa. How are you drilling through the cap without hitting the stem?

i have a mounted dremel, so I can control how deep to drill pretty easily

[braaaiiins]

That must be nice to have o_o

I trust most of you have seen Jurassic park?
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I thought it would be cool to take a dead beetle and cast it into the thick top portion of the keycap.   I'll check out my museum sometime to see if they have anything suitable for a keycap.
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[cactux]

That must be nice to have o_o

I trust most of you have seen Jurassic park?
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I thought it would be cool to take a dead beetle and cast it into the thick top portion of the keycap.   I'll check out my museum sometime to see if they have anything suitable for a keycap.
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I can tell, when an artist has a new source of inspiration :smile:

[whiskerBox]

That must be nice to have o_o

I trust most of you have seen Jurassic park?

I thought it would be cool to take a dead beetle and cast it into the thick top portion of the keycap.   I'll check out my museum sometime to see if they have anything suitable for a keycap.

Talk about a good idea! I had originally thought about placing things in the mold and then pouring the acrylic in. Like broken pieces of a pcb board metal flakes etc... but never a bug, thats a good idea.

[hazeluff]

Talk about a good idea! I had originally thought about placing things in the mold and then pouring the acrylic in. Like broken pieces of a pcb board metal flakes etc... but never a bug, thats a good idea.

Im glad I brought this up (putting stuff in clear resin). Anyway how would one do this? Would you like poor some resin into the half mold, let it set, place a thing in and then fill the rest of the mould with resin?.

While we're on putting things inside the plastics. Im thinking of M&Ms and some electrical components (ICs and such). = D

[Oqsy]

These things all sound quite big for a keycap.

[braaaiiins]

A computer chip would be really cool to cast in! Not to mention a lot easier than a bug. Hazel, I would fill in half the mold, place the bug in, fill up the rest with more resin and then close the mold. This is the only way I can think of doing it to make sure there aren't any air bubbles.

Here's an update on my keys. The clear ones I've created as well as the sparkly sky blue one have cured quite nice. I'm 90% satisfied with their finish. They feel much harder and stiffer than a few days ago.
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Here's the blue dyed key I had made per request. This one didnt come out as expected. The walls, being very thin, are extremely transparent compared to the thicker top section. These pictures don't really portray what I'm talking about that well. In person, the walls look much lighter in color. I'll continue experimenting with it until I get the wall color the way I want it. I'm afraid doing so will make the top section look incredibly dark. Also this cast came out significantly more sticky and unfinished with very little rigidity. I got my fingerprints and excess resin embedded all over the surfaces (advice: never do anything with this stuff without gloves on. It's a PITA washing resin off.) I gave it ample time to cure - 24 hours. My hypothesis at the moment is that it may be due to the dye that I have chosen. It's probably a water based dye which would probably soften up the plastic if mixed in. I'll be experimenting with the dye with different types of resins to test it. I'll be disappointed if it turns out I'll have to use a dye specifically made for these plastic resins. The sparkly powder I've added to a previous key seems to have no effect on the cure.
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Oh yea, and I've started my next cast which uses pearlescent white sparkling powder. I used it in much less concentration than the blue powder. While mixing it up, I couldn't help but notice it looked a lot like shiny semen. Sorry I had to share that, but the resemblance was uncanny.

[Spharx]

Whoa ! Nice article ...  why didn't I think about making molds
Well guys I srsly want to see some of metal powder caps

[hazeluff]

A computer chip would be really cool to cast in! Not to mention a lot easier than a bug. Hazel, I would fill in half the mold, place the bug in, fill up the rest with more resin and then close the mold. This is the only way I can think of doing it to make sure there aren't any air bubbles.

Here's an update on my keys. The clear ones I've created as well as the sparkly sky blue one have cured quite nice. I'm 90% satisfied with their finish. They feel much harder and stiffer than a few days ago.
(Attachment Link) 32404[/ATTACH]

Here's the blue dyed key I had made per request. This one didnt come out as expected. The walls, being very thin, are extremely transparent compared to the thicker top section. These pictures don't really portray what I'm talking about that well. In person, the walls look much lighter in color. I'll continue experimenting with it until I get the wall color the way I want it. I'm afraid doing so will make the top section look incredibly dark. Also this cast came out significantly more sticky and unfinished with very little rigidity. I got my fingerprints and excess resin embedded all over the surfaces (advice: never do anything with this stuff without gloves on. It's a PITA washing resin off.) I gave it ample time to cure - 24 hours. My hypothesis at the moment is that it may be due to the dye that I have chosen. It's probably a water based dye which would probably soften up the plastic if mixed in. I'll be experimenting with the dye with different types of resins to test it. I'll be disappointed if it turns out I'll have to use a dye specifically made for these plastic resins. The sparkly powder I've added to a previous key seems to have no effect on the cure.
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Oh yea, and I've started my next cast which uses pearlescent white sparkling powder. I used it in much less concentration than the blue powder. While mixing it up, I couldn't help but notice it looked a lot like shiny semen. Sorry I had to share that, but the resemblance was uncanny.

I love the color of the blue keys apart from the darker thick areas, which you've mentioned. I think maybe it'll be less apparent if the color was darker/very light.
Tho the current result might look good in green/red. Gives it a nice spooky look.

As for placing things in resin. Do you mean like filling and letting it cure a bit, or just doing those steps without any waiting. I'm thinking that if you let it set/cure, you may end up with a obvious line between the two layers of resin you pour.

These things all sound quite big for a keycap.

I don't know, but I think ICs would fit. Theyre quite thin.

[tsangan]

Whoa ! Nice article ...  why didn't I think about making molds
Well guys I srsly want to see some of metal powder caps

That looked so cool ;o

[cactux]

could you please write down the ingredients, the amount, and all the details forevery keycap?. It will be nice to collect all this info in order to have a nice HOW-TO

[hazeluff]

could you please write down the ingredients, the amount, and all the details forevery keycap?. It will be nice to collect all this info in order to have a nice HOW-TO

A

That would be nice. I've decided I'll start making some during Christmas.

[bloodygood]

Oh looks like I came back to this thread at just the right time, that blue keycap turned out very awesome. I was just thinking about that today when planning out my keyboard layout. It might be the graininess of the picture but it is hard to tell the blue when it is lit by an LED though. I had been thinking I think if the side walls were a little thicker and the inside of the keycap had a little more of a curve to it, that might really disperse the light evenly and give it a great visual effect.

[braaaiiins]

I love the color of the blue keys apart from the darker thick areas, which you've mentioned. I think maybe it'll be less apparent if the color was darker/very light.
Tho the current result might look good in green/red. Gives it a nice spooky look.

As for placing things in resin. Do you mean like filling and letting it cure a bit, or just doing those steps without any waiting. I'm thinking that if you let it set/cure, you may end up with a obvious line between the two layers of resin you pour.



I don't know, but I think ICs would fit. Theyre quite thin.

I meant those steps without pauses. With a clear resin I think multiple layers would be apparent, but I could be wrong. The layers could blend seamlessly for all I know. I've been wanting to try that actually. I'll be making the top portion translucent green and the bottom portion clear.If you want the embedded object to be offset from the surface, then I'd suggest that you flip the mold over (being careful that it is closed and locked together).

Oh looks like I came back to this thread at just the right time, that blue keycap turned out very awesome. I was just thinking about that today when planning out my keyboard layout. It might be the graininess of the picture but it is hard to tell the blue when it is lit by an LED though. I had been thinking I think if the side walls were a little thicker and the inside of the keycap had a little more of a curve to it, that might really disperse the light evenly and give it a great visual effect.

Sorry, I should have mentioned the picture with 3 caps on the keyboard is a picture of 2 clears and one sparkly blue. The camera on my phone is pretty bad. That led looks a lot brighter than it really is and comes out white in a lot of pictures even though it is a blue led.

As for the wall thickness - this is a problem with the keycap design itself. The designer of the original keycap I purchased from wasdkeyboards definitely had minimization of material in mind. The walls are pretty much as thin as they can get and that's also the reason why they use cross ribs for more support. Because of this I've  designed my own keycaps in Inventor and they have twice the thickness. I was hoping to get the quote by this week for that mold I've designed, but it looks like I wont be getting that til next week. Once its made I should be able to pump out caps consistently and in multiples.

could you please write down the ingredients, the amount, and all the details forevery keycap?. It will be nice to collect all this info in order to have a nice HOW-TO

I was thinking about this earlier. I haven't even been keeping a log for myself (other than this thread). I'm eyeballin' a lot measurements.

I can make my own thread for my run-off on this project, I guess. What do you think is the best way to go about doing this?

[hazeluff]

If i was reading this article. id love to see the recipes either right at the end or linked.

[braaaiiins]

If i was reading this article. id love to see the recipes either right at the end or linked.

I think it would be useful to have each person make their own log in each of their wikis. Each one can link to the others for a collective project.

[bloodygood]

Something I had thought of was making the main walls 2mm as was mentione before, but also smoothing the corners to make the inside walls more solid. This would make the keycap even more sound dampened and might even make the walls less likely to bend at all. This would be done by taking the original mold and sanding down the shape until it seems right.

[Input Nirvana]

Something I had thought of was making the main walls 2mm as was mentione before, but also smoothing the corners to make the inside walls more solid. This would make the keycap even more sound dampened and might even make the walls less likely to bend at all. This would be done by taking the original mold and sanding down the shape until it seems right.

But the mold is of silicone? So you would trim/shave the corners with a small sharp blade?

[bloodygood]

But the mold is of silicone? So you would trim/shave the corners with a small sharp blade?

The inside part of the keycap mold should be able to be sanded down with sandpaper or something similar if you are careful. I was saying make the inside of the keycap rounder and thicker.
Remember when you look at the inside molding part of the keycap it will be inverted and therefore "stick out" from the mold

In this example instead of filing it down he filled in the keycap with a puddy before casting the mold.

[braaaiiins]

But the mold is of silicone? So you would trim/shave the corners with a small sharp blade?

Yep. It's really soft flexible stuff. Doing detail cuts with the xacto knife is hard to do. The whole piece around the cut warps when you press in.

[cactux]

I was thinking about this earlier. I haven't even been keeping a log for myself (other than this thread). I'm eyeballin' a lot measurements.

I can make my own thread for my run-off on this project, I guess. What do you think is the best way to go about doing this?

This document is a good reference, to put all the info in a structure way. Just consider that the people that is going to read this information does not have any previous experience it this subject

[Input Nirvana]

Oh yea, and I've started my next cast which uses pearlescent white sparkling powder. I used it in much less concentration than the blue powder. While mixing it up, I couldn't help but notice it looked a lot like shiny semen. Sorry I had to share that, but the resemblance was uncanny.

Canned Smurf sperm? (if it's blue?)

Yep. It's really soft flexible stuff. Doing detail cuts with the xacto knife is hard to do. The whole piece around the cut warps when you press in.

I know exactly...somewhere I have tried to cut the same stuff with that type of blade...it's maddening. PIT...ASSSS!

[braaaiiins]

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I love the way this one turned out. I didn't have to touch the top of the keycap while extracting it from the mold this time, so after it dried up from the clear coat spray it finished glass smooth on all sides. It feels great.  I'll add more powder next time so the walls look more uniform with the top of the cap like my sparkly blue one. These two are easily my favorites. Again a thicker wall will help with color uniformity as well as get rid of those annoying support cylinders inside the corners of the cap.

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You might be able to see the bits of blue at the bottom of the pearl cap. This is the resin from the previous transparent blue cap I created before. Definitely something weird about that resin mix because on the surface of the mold it just wont finish curing (still sticky like some kind of melted candy). It usually just solidifies and I can peel it off the mold no problem. Tomorrow I might have to do a small alcohol cleaning on the mold. After spraying the clear coat onto the blue dyed keycap it seems to be on its way to finish curing like the rest.

[hazeluff]

Hm, PBT... that sounds fun. I wonder if I could just melt down the PBT and use it like that. A metal mold really opens up some possibilities! Right now, I'm fantasizing about glass keycaps. I don't think that would be possible though, since the molten glass would have to have really low viscosity to be workable. Maybe someone else has some insight to this.

Blow the glass (glass blowing) to make the main part of the key, but no idea about the stems. I don't like the idea of glass, Its horrible thinking of the key just smashing and then it getting stuck in your fingers. (I also rage a lot...)

[braaaiiins]

Haha that wouldn't be my method actually. Glassblowing is more for features that need inflation like a vase. If I wanted to do a glass mold it would be with a glass rod and torch and a steel mold. The aluminum ones I want to have made should be good for plastics. Does anyone know where I can source some PBT plastic pellets?

[braaaiiins]

I just thought of a really easy way to mix up some resin and coloring for a small batch of keys or even one.

http://www.amazon.com/500-CLEAR-Reclosable-Zipper-Bag/dp/B002EDINF0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1321753128&sr=8-4

Tiny ziplock bags! No need for a mixing stick. You just pour some resin in through a ketchup type bottle. Put some coloring in. Squeeze all of the air out and then proceed to mush it around with your fingers and then cut a small opening in the bottom corner to pour out some material for your mold.

[hazeluff]

I just thought of a really easy way to mix up some resin and coloring for a small batch of keys or even one.

http://www.amazon.com/500-CLEAR-Reclosable-Zipper-Bag/dp/B002EDINF0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1321753128&sr=8-4

Tiny ziplock bags! No need for a mixing stick. You just pour some resin in through a ketchup type bottle. Put some coloring in. Squeeze all of the air out and then proceed to mush it around with your fingers and then cut a small opening in the bottom corner to pour out some material for your mold.

This is kinda interesting. But I have a feeling it's gonna be a very bad idea.

= x

Good luck. May the force be with you.

[Oqsy]

Could work. Wear gloves and mush gently

[whiskerBox]

Well I have been lurking around the thread for awhile just spectating and now the urge has become to great. I ordered a 1lb mold making kit from alumilite, purchased a 10lb box of clay, and I am going to pick up some alumilite clear and an array of sandpapers. So hopefully before Christmas I will have a shiny clear Filco!

[Input Nirvana]

Well I have been lurking around the thread for awhile just spectating and now the urge has become to great. I ordered a 1lb mold making kit from alumilite, purchased a 10lb box of clay, and I am going to pick up some alumilite clear and an array of sandpapers. So hopefully before Christmas I will have a shiny clear Filco!

This I gotta see!

I'm not doing anything till I hear about what you wind up doing and how it goes for you.

[ishtob]

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You might be able to see the bits of blue at the bottom of the pearl cap. This is the resin from the previous transparent blue cap I created before. Definitely something weird about that resin mix because on the surface of the mold it just wont finish curing (still sticky like some kind of melted candy). It usually just solidifies and I can peel it off the mold no problem. Tomorrow I might have to do a small alcohol cleaning on the mold. After spraying the clear coat onto the blue dyed keycap it seems to be on its way to finish curing like the rest.

im having the same issue with the clear resin, sometimes it just doesnt seem to want to cure, and some takes up to a week to harden

[Fobbah]

Has anyone done much thinking about how a doubleshot mold might be achieved with similar methods?

[ishtob]

working on it

[hazeluff]

I went to our Robotics club and asked about the 3D printer. Apparently it's broken and will be fixed "next week". Given they told me they had plans to fix it months ago, I'm going to say it'll never get fixed. = ( Sadly won't be making any 3D printed ones soon. Tho I've seen a lot of stuff that can be made, and very definitely can make keycaps out of a 3D printer (tho you may have to polish it yourself).

[braaaiiins]

Well I have been lurking around the thread for awhile just spectating and now the urge has become to great. I ordered a 1lb mold making kit from alumilite, purchased a 10lb box of clay, and I am going to pick up some alumilite clear and an array of sandpapers. So hopefully before Christmas I will have a shiny clear Filco!

Good luck! Keep us posted. I would love to see how you go about making it

im having the same issue with the clear resin, sometimes it just doesnt seem to want to cure, and some takes up to a week to harden

I hope we find a way to fix this. I really need more molds to test out different variables at the same time to better understand the resin I'm working with.

Has anyone done much thinking about how a doubleshot mold might be achieved with similar methods?

Doubleshot molds are tricky with soft molds. There are other methods for adding more color though. I'm working on some multi-color caps right now as well. I think you guys will really like what I've designed. I won't be posting any pictures until they're ready.

[whiskerBox]

Good luck! Keep us posted. I would love to see how you go about making it

Thanks, I am pretty much gonna go about it the same way you guys are doing the caps and use a two-part mold, unfortunately I have to go out of town now a couple times in december and january so I don't know when I will get to actually casting the mold. I still need to find a box or some plexi glass to make the mold with. You guys have been making so many great things that I just really want to get involved.

On another note I noticed that your guys caps are a little thin on the sides and I was thinking(not hard) that maybe you could take the keycap that you are making the mold from and fill it with clay and then carve it out to the thickness that you want. Of course this would require making another mold but would hopefully render thicker keycaps with minimal effort. I have been thinking of trying this so let me know what you think.

[braaaiiins]

That sounds like a decent idea. Definitely doable but I'm not a great clay sculpter, so it wouldn't be my first approach. I'd rather just get a custom design made at a machine shop haha. Call me lazy I guess. I think you should definitely try it though. You could even engrave your clay so all your caps come out with your initials or something. Pretty cool!

[whiskerBox]

I also thought that you could place a thin layer of clay on top of the cap and then use say a stamp for less artistic to put a design on the top of the cap and then make a mold of said cap.

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[Input Nirvana]

I had thought of spraying or painting truck bed liner on the interior of caps to get a less hollow sound. Perhaps having several layers of it until the correct thickness is reached could be a clean solution to make the mold from with thicker walls.

[ishtob]

Thanks, I am pretty much gonna go about it the same way you guys are doing the caps and use a two-part mold, unfortunately I have to go out of town now a couple times in december and january so I don't know when I will get to actually casting the mold. I still need to find a box or some plexi glass to make the mold with. You guys have been making so many great things that I just really want to get involved.

On another note I noticed that your guys caps are a little thin on the sides and I was thinking(not hard) that maybe you could take the keycap that you are making the mold from and fill it with clay and then carve it out to the thickness that you want. Of course this would require making another mold but would hopefully render thicker keycaps with minimal effort. I have been thinking of trying this so let me know what you think.

you dont need a box, I've seen people use pieces of cardboard held together by duct tape to prevent leaks

[whiskerBox]

you dont need a box, I've seen people use pieces of cardboard held together by duct tape to prevent leaks

Yeah that seems like it could work I have a glue gun to for the seems. Next week I will be in Texas and I am going to go to ikea so I can prolly just find a cheap box there anyways, but if not I will try something like cardboard then.

ishtob - How is your doubleshot process working? I got some large needled syringes but havent tried anything yet

[ishtob]

its on hold at the moment i'm on vacation.. i do have a few ideas on how to get it to work

[whiskerBox]

Just another thought, but wouldn't it be cool to be able to have a crazy color logo for Filcos/Leopolds/ etc. This might also be something fun to make a mold for!

[braaaiiins]

Time to revive this thread a bit. I've been MIA because GH decided to stop supporting my chrome browser for some reason. I can't make any posts or send messages in there. Oh well.  Here are a few pictures to show you guys what I've been playing with. The pictures as well as john deere props are thanks to my sister.

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Anyone love bombpops and cows as much as I do? =D

[ishtob]

those looks awesome

[byFd]

really really awesome!
Do want

btw you can "fix" the chrome problem if you disable geekhack javascript. there is a post about it on the feedback forum, if you haven't seen yet.